# Chapter 24
Seo Jaeha, who made a painful request as if he might stop breathing at any moment, had his hair completely disheveled, covering his face.
“Not yet. I need to check a bit more.”
“It’s too… hard.”
Seo Jaeha could only move his lips with great difficulty as he lay limp on the bed with his exposed body, unable to move at all. In contrast, Lee Youngwoo, sitting on the bed, rejected him gently with a smile and a sweet tone.
“I’ll experiment a bit more. We need to do guiding anyway, right?”
“Please…”
“If you keep being lazy, I’ll call another Esper. I’ve been curious about the efficiency of guiding two people at once.”
“No… don’t…”
“That’s something I won’t allow.”
A hand appeared from outside the screen and gently stroked Seo Jaeha. Actually, Jaeha’s trembling got worse when the hand touched him. The voice of the person not yet visible was familiar to Seo Jaeyoon. It was Joo Dojoon’s voice, who always informed him of his brother’s absence whenever he went to find Jaeha.
Lee Youngwoo continued his dissatisfied sigh toward Joo Dojoon, who was stroking the trembling Jaeha with leisurely hands.
“Since you’re cooperating, could you do it properly?”
“I am doing it. Showing him guiding all day should be enough.”
“Hmm, I want to use my insight to see how energy moves when one guide does guiding with two Espers.”
“Do that with another guide.”
Joo Dojoon shared Seo Jaeha with others but drew the line in this case. Lee Youngwoo, who wanted to understand guiding efficiency in various situations, backed down.
“Then could you increase the intensity this time? So I can see how guiding efficiency changes with contact frequency and depth.”
“That much is fine.”
“No, stop…”
When Joo Dojoon readily got up, Seo Jaeha shook his head slowly, showing his discomfort. Despite Jaeha looking extremely weak with cold sweat dripping, Lee Youngwoo calmly grabbed his neck and smiled.
“By the way, if you scream like last time, you’ll hurt your vocal cords.”
Seo Jaeha’s tired face twisted at Lee Youngwoo’s warning.
“Ugh…”
Jaeha, who had seemed too limp to move on his own, forcefully raised his body. With his trembling arms, he pulled the bed sheet and stuffed it in his mouth as if to gag himself.
Even just watching the video, Seo Jaeyoon was filled with rage enough to grind his teeth. Unlike him, Lee Youngwoo showed no emotional change and tilted his head, muttering:
“The flow starts from the heart, so direct contact to this area would actually be more efficient.”
“Oh, seriously. Are you a mad scientist? Leave that kind of thing to real scientists.”
“My visual observation is better than what scientists do.”
“Well, sure. Did you hear that, Jaeha? Esper Lee Youngwoo is working hard for the country. You should cooperate too. Lift your hips and show yourself better.”
“Urk…”
Under the pretense of cooperating with Lee Youngwoo’s experiment, Joo Dojoon taunted Seo Jaeha, who was embarrassed by others’ gazes. Throughout the close-contact guiding in front of Lee Youngwoo, who only saw him as an experimental subject, Seo Jaeha felt humiliated. Even now, when Joo Dojoon clung to him at Lee Youngwoo’s request, Jaeha buried his face in the bed to avoid their gaze.
Joo Dojoon, who was enjoying tormenting Seo Jaeha, criticized Lee Youngwoo when he crossed the line. Lee Youngwoo, in the middle of an important experiment for Espers, couldn’t understand Joo Dojoon’s attitude.
“Aren’t you curious? Just by holding hands, you can purify impure energy. The efficiency during direct contact goes without saying. Wouldn’t it be better to touch the heart, which is the source of guiding?”
“No. What’s the point of just the heart? I’m enjoying this enough as it is.”
Lee Youngwoo warned Joo Dojoon, who was licking his lips while touching Seo Jaeha’s lips that were suppressing screams.
“I wish you’d refrain from vulgar talk. Our junior who’s cooperating with the experiment is listening to everything.”
“Instead of worrying about our junior’s mental state, why don’t you take away those eyes? You look like a real pervert watching like that.”
While Joo Dojoon was disgusted but still calmly continuing the relationship, Seo Jaeha was desperate to swallow his screams. The sensation of his insides turning upside down from day-long guiding was horrific no matter how many times he experienced it, far from getting used to it.
“It’s too hard… I really… can’t do it anymore.”
“Is that so? If the experiment ends quickly, you could go to your brother.”
Seo Jaeha’s expression changed as he pleaded with a face soaked in what could be either cold sweat or tears. His wet eyes with fading will became clear, and he gritted his teeth.
“What… do you mean?”
“I heard Esper Seo Jaeyoon said he wouldn’t do guiding with you anymore. But guides are scarce. I was thinking of sending you to him even if we have to force guiding.”
This was news to Seo Jaeyoon who was watching the video. Not doing guiding with Jaeha? How could he refuse something that had never happened?
On the contrary, if given the chance, Jaeyoon would definitely want to receive guiding from Jaeha. He preferred everyday guiding that could be managed just with normal physical contact, rather than guiding that occurred while his consciousness was flying away, consumed by pain. That’s why Jaeha’s avoidance was even more resentful. No, in fact, he didn’t care about guiding either way. He desperately missed the everyday life he shared with Jaeha.
“Jaeyoon…”
“Yes. You should cooperate for Esper Seo Jaeyoon’s sake too. Unless you want to go guide your brother when his arms and legs are almost rotting again.”
“Ah, if Jaeha is going to guide his brother, I’ll take him there. His crying face when he’s with that kid is really worth seeing.”
Seo Jaeyoon was shocked at their conversation, as if his brain had stopped working.
Until he received grade A, Jaeyoon had received guiding once every few months, while unconscious. He couldn’t remember the guiding process, but each time he woke up with a lightened body, bathed and in new clothes. Since Jaeyoon had always received guiding only in the worst condition, he only guessed that he had the deepest contact.
It was unbelievable and confusing to learn that he had been doing this with Seo Jaeha.
Wasn’t Jaeha the one who only met high-grade Espers and ignored him?
“Oh, by the way, isn’t it about time for Jaeha’s brother to go berserk?”
“Berserk… no.”
“He builds up energy so quickly because he works so hard.”
When Joo Dojoon mentioned Seo Jaeyoon, Jaeha’s dim eyes returned to normal.
“Jaeha, want to go see your brother? Should I help you?”
“Yes. Dojoon, can you… help me.”
“Oh, look at those eyes coming back. You want to be with your brother that badly?”
Despite Joo Dojoon’s obvious mockery, Seo Jaeha nodded desperately as if it were a lifeline. But Joo Dojoon tilted his head crookedly and twisted his lips.
“You have to say it properly. Should I just leave since we don’t have time?”
“I… want to.”
“How badly do you want it? Who are you trying to devour this time?”
As Seo Jaeha could only move his lips without speaking, Joo Dojoon pretended not to care. Despite Joo Dojoon’s sarcastic response to Jaeha’s desperation, he clung with trembling hands.
“Do-Dojoon. Please. Take me to Jaeyoon.”
“How desperate are you?”
“Very. Really… really desperate.”
“Then show your sincerity.”
Joo Dojoon’s eyes glistening with desire were terrible. Seo Jaeha, who had learned to resign himself, moved toward Joo Dojoon without hesitation.
After a squelching sound, Lee Youngwoo criticized the situation as unpleasant, and Joo Dojoon’s shameless urging mixed in.
While watching the video, Seo Jaeyoon was filled with rage, wanting to tear apart Joo Dojoon and Lee Youngwoo who were blackmailing his brother using him, but was also confused by the shock of having done close-contact guiding with his brother. Though he didn’t know when this video was recorded, Jaeyoon tried desperately to understand the situation.
If what they said was true, guiding between him and his brother had happened under deception. Even if they were no longer brothers, it wasn’t like there weren’t guides. How could they send someone who was once his brother to be the brother’s guide?
Just looking at Joo Dojoon’s actions, it was clear that his S-grade Esper influence was at work. From the video alone, it seemed like he was doing this for fun, but for Jaeyoon it was a terribly painful truth.
‘Brother, what have you done? Why you? Why?’
Before knowing the truth, Jaeyoon had lost his purpose because of Seo Jaeha, whom he couldn’t meet even after becoming high-grade. Jaeyoon’s half-resigned behavior was extremely rough. The Association was also narrowing Jaeyoon’s standing.
‘Was it all based on misunderstanding?’
It looked like they were preventing his brother from coming to him. Resentment, anger, regret, pity, all kinds of emotions mixed and Jaeyoon’s vision blurred. Through the video, the voice of a sweet sadist reached his ears.
“If I report that Jaeha is trying this hard, the handling of Esper Seo Jaeyoon might also be delayed.”
“Yes, Jaeha. We could also increase the guiding frequency for your brother.”
Seo Jaeha slowly nodded. Having gotten the answer he wanted, Lee Youngwoo smiled with satisfaction and slowly removed his hand from Jaeha.
“Hnngh…!”
“Then let’s try doing it together this time. Video number 16…”
The video ended there.
That day, Seo Jaeyoon went to Lee Youngwoo’s home, but it was empty. All he found in the empty room were numerous files and documents.
Most were damaged, but he could confirm experiments on Seo Jaeha in some files. The experiments, which gradually increased in intensity, became so dirty and cruel that they were difficult to watch. Seeing Jaeha’s eyes losing their light while enduring all this, Jaeyoon felt unbearable anger.
# 9. Crack Bomb 2
Joo Dojoon and Lee Youngwoo.
It was a situation where newly awakened Espers were confronting each other. The guards, who secretly followed them as both protectors and monitors, were also in a standoff.
“Crazy. Did someone set off a bomb?”
“Wow, look at that firepower.”
“Shouldn’t we be protecting Joo Dojoon?”
“Come on, looks like he’s using a defense shield, he’ll be fine.”
The people having this conversation with different tones were Kwon Haeil’s hastily formed “Pre-awakening Dedicated Team.” While before it was ordinary surveillance, these were somewhat professional personnel.
As soon as he heard from Jaeyoon that a high-grade Esper would awaken within a few months, he immediately gathered F-grade Espers. They had no special abilities, but they were stronger or tougher than ordinary people. Above all, being Espers, they could see mana flow and cracks. They were suitable for watching Espers who could awaken at any time.
He gave the team leader position to the man with the best build and strength among them. Jaeyoon ordered him to guard against Youngwoo, whom he was most wary of. As a result, some developed a sense of entitlement.
“Protect who? We just need to watch.”
A guard’s job was simply to watch unawakened Espers. Despite the impressive-sounding title of dedicated team, the man who became team leader was arrogant.
“Everyone, don’t take your eyes off Lee Youngwoo.”
“Team leader, there seem to be ordinary people mixed in.”
“Several people have already died, what does one ordinary person matter?”
The team leader acted as if he were Lee Youngwoo himself. Youngwoo, whom they had been watching for the past week, was just a popular college student. This ordinary person who had seemed so normal had just awakened and eliminated cracks, using them like bombs. After witnessing the scene, the team leader felt more expectation than fear.
“Team Leader Kim, still…”
“Hey, everyone back off.”
Since they were close enough to intervene at any time, the team leader blocked the guards with his huge body. With his bulk blocking them, everyone looked beyond him and added their own comments.
“Kim Byungtae, that looks dangerous.”
“That’s right, Team Leader. If someone gets hurt, we’ll be in big trouble from above.”
“I’m telling you, there’s no problem. Why get involved when Espers are clashing? We’re just F-grade, boys.”
Team Leader Kim Byungtae might brag excessively, but he wasn’t ashamed to back down in the face of danger.
When he deliberately blocked the way, everyone kept a proper distance, but one guard stepped forward.
“How is that not going to cause problems?”
With a tall height and buzz cut, he was obviously a rookie who had recently been discharged from military service. That’s why Kim Byungtae even bothered to answer, when at other times he would have used his fists first.
“Yanma, did you forget the guidelines not to make contact unless there’s a problem with the Esper’s safety?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
